1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 243 



trolling executive would be kept reasonably well advised of the actual 

 conditions prevailing throughout the Province, which at the present 

 time would appear to be far from being the case, judging from the almost 

 unanimously favourable reports as to conditions furnished by the vari- 

 ous wardens and overseers and published yearly by the Department of 

 Game and Fisheries. It would, of course, be essential to select only 

 men of high attainments and adequate qualifications for these respon- 

 sible positions, and to secure the services of such men good salaries 

 would have to be paid. 



Coincident with the appointment of such an officer to a district it would 

 be necessary to furnish him with some measure of reliable, permanent 

 staff, most carefully selected and comprising only men physically, men- 

 tally and morally suited to the posts, and with sufficient qualifications 

 of the special nature required to enable them adequately to discharge 

 their duties. Even a numerically small staff of this nature would insure 

 an immediate improvement in the local situation during the period in 

 which the chief officer of the district was studying its problems and plan- 

 ning reorganization. Doubtless the ranks of such staff could be filled 

 to some extent from the men at present emplowed in this class of work, 

 for that there are many good and efficient officers in the service at 

 present goes without saying, and it is to be noted, also, that not only 

 should these officers be paid a sufficient salary as to ensure the right class 

 of men being obtained, but also that, as their exclusive services would 

 be required and paid for, they could be expected to cover considerable 

 areas of territory which would at once remove them from those local 

 influences which under the present system militate so strongly against 

 the proper discharge of their duties. 



A scheme of reorganization as above indicated would have several 

 advantages in addition to those already enumerated. The presence in 

 each area of an officer of superior rank and mentality should materially 

 facilitate inter-departmental co-operation, for such officer would 

 naturally be expected to study the numbers and distribution of provin- 

 cial constables and fire rangers in his district and to take such matters 

 into consideration when planning local organization. In other words, it 

 should lead to economy in administration. Again, reorganization could 

 be effected without any undue upheaval or disturbance, and over a 

 period of time, for, if it were deemed advisable, the provision of a staff 

 and adequate equipment could be undertaken by districts as funds be- 

 came available. Moreover, the process of replacing the present officials, 

 where it was decided to dispense with their services, would in any case 

 be but gradually effected. Further, fewer positions with adequate 

 salaries attached thereto would be calculated to attract the right class 

 of men; the wider districts to be covered by each officer would render 

 incompetency more noticeable; and at the same time both the increased 

 area to be covered by the individual officers and the direct personal 

 interest of a chief district officer in the efficiency of his staff would tend 



